1. Field of the Invention
The present embodiments relate generally to laser systems and more particularly to scalable wavelength beam combining systems and methods.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Wavelength beam combining (WBC) is a method for scaling the output power and brightness from laser diode bars, stacks of diode bars, as well as other lasers arranged in one or two-dimensional array.
WBC methods have been developed to combine beams to produce a multi-wavelength output beam. However, the traditional methods described therein do not allow for greater flexibility in scaling the overall footprint of the system and flexibility in addressing large aperture optic concerns while scaling the output power and brightness to produce kilowatts, tens and hundreds of kilowatts, and even megawatts of power. Improved methods and systems to increase spectral brightness and output power methods to meet various industrial, scientific and defense applications are needed.
The following application seeks to solve the problems stated.